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Leadership and the New Science: Discovering Order in a Chaotic World By Margaret J Wheatley ( Berrett-Koehler Publishers )
Release Date: 2006-09-01
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List Price: $20.95
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Product Description
Leadership and the New Science launched a revolution by demonstrating that ideas drawn from quantum physics, chaos theory, and molecular biology could improve organizational performance. Margaret Wheatley called for free-flowing information, individual empowerment, relationship networks, and organizational change that evolves organically -- ideas that have become commonplace. Now Wheatley's updated classic, based on her experiences with these ideas in a diverse number of organizations on five continents, is available in paperback.
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Amazon.com Review
When Margaret J. Wheatley's Leadership and the New Science was initially published in 1992, it outlined an unquestionably unique but extremely challenging view of change, leadership, and the structure of groups. Many readers immediately embraced its cutting-edge perspective, but others just could not understand how the complicated scientific tenets it described could be used to reshape institutions. Now Wheatley, an organizational specialist who has since coauthored A Simpler Way, updates the original by including additional material (such as an epilogue addressing her personal experiences during the past decade) and reconstructing some of her more challenging concepts. The result is a much clearer work that first explores the implications of quantum physics on organizational practice, then investigates ways that biology and chemistry affect living systems, and finally focuses on chaos theory, the creation of a new order, and the manner that scientific principles affect leadership. "Our old ways of relating to each other don't support us any longer," she writes. "It is up to us to journey forth in search of new practices and new ideas that will enable us to create lives and organizations worthy of human habitation." --Howard Rothman
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 How do Complex Systems Change? ( goldenlionkempo )
1. Why aren't organizations working well? Organizations fail because they devalue the relationship networks that exist within their organization. This world of relationships is rich and complex. None of us exists independent of our relationships with others. Systems influence individuals, and individuals call forth systems. It is the relationship that evokes the present reality. Which potential becomes real depends on the people, the events, and the moment. There is a growing demand for spiritual experiences in peoples relationships and work environments.
2. Why is progress coming from unexpected places or synchronistic events? Space is everywhere, filled with fields that exert influence and bring matter into form. Sheldrake has postulated the existence of morphic fields that influence the behavior of the species. Morphic fields are built up through the skills that accumulate as members of the same species learn something new. Leaders are encouraged to consider the impact of non-material forces in organizations: culture, values, vision, ethics. Each of these concepts describes a quality of organizational life that can be observed in behavior. What influences employee behavior to practice things like excellent customer service? We might discover while we want outstanding customer service there are forces exerting reversing pressure. Perhaps, people are signaled that they must make certain quotas this quarter no matter what. We can see the influence of the field by looking at behavior.
3. Why do projects fail to achieve any significant results? More advocates are now speaking about strategic thinking rather than planning. They are focusing on acquiring new skills, instead of analyzing and predicting, says Jack Welch, "predicting is less important than reacting." Our environment and future remains uncreated until we engage with the present. We must interact with the world in order to see what we might create. Without a clear sense of who they are, and what they are trying to accomplish, organizations get tossed and turned by shifts in the environment.
4. There exists in the Universe an inherit orderliness
5. Present ways of organizing are outdated. There exists better ways causing change in complex systems.
6. We are all searching for a simpler way to organize
7. We must embrace our despair as a step to wisdom
8. No one person knows everything about a complex system. However, there exists individuals who know much about the system.
9. We expect to be predictable and are searching for better methods of objectively measuring and perceiving the world.
10. Curiosity not certainty is the saving grace within complex systems. An environment where employees are constantly learning.
11. Learn how to engage creativity that exists in the organization
12. How do complex systems change? Systems change when a critical business need emerges. Systems change as companies begin identifying core values and promoting core values from the top. Systems change as core ideologies are discovered and explained. Discovery and recruitment of talent helps the system to change by empower talent with the ability to implement change within the system and change the culture of the company. System change to allow organizational fit, creating more adaptive and flexible structures to service customers and employees. System change occurs through small improvements, increased housekeeping, and removal of waste. Core ideology and beliefs stimulate system change over time. Network relationships give power to the system and facilitate change. System change occurs as barriers are removed. As people understand the big picture, system change will occur. Positive feedback loops cause system change. System based on living system dynamics will change constantly. Systems change when they players listen to the customer. Organization crisis often stimulates system change. Preventing organizational components from becoming to large, reduces complexity, increase communication and coordination, and facilitates rapid system change. Incongruence between one or more organization building block causes incremental system change.
13. How can we create structures that are flexible and adaptive? Self organizing system have the great capacity to adapt as needed, to create structures that fit the moment. Process structures, reorganized into different forms in order to maintain their identity. The system may maintain itself in its present form or evolve to a new order, depending on what is required. Temporary teams are created to deal with specific and ever-changing needs and eliminate rigidity in the organization. If an organization is to acquire qualities of adaptability, it needs to open itself to information. "Information must actively be sought from everywhere, from places and sources people never thought to look. Then it must be circulated free for people to interpret. The purpose of the information is to keep the organization off balance, alert to what might need to be changed. Self Organizing systems are more stable over time. Here is why. Participation leads to effective organizational strategy. Organizational data is rich in potential interpretation and completely dependent on observers to evoke different meanings. As each observer interacts with the data, he or she develops their own interpretation. The richness of the interpretations result from the powers of participation. It is the participation process that brings a plan to life. Participation, ownership, and subjective data brings one to the central truth that "we live in a Universe where relationships are primary." The world of process, the process of connecting coming into existence because of relationship. Roles mean nothing without understanding the networks of relationships and the resources that are required to support the work of that person. The agents of the system get smarter and comprehension increases. In this relationship world, it is foolish to think we can define any person solely in terms of isolated tasks and accountabilities. We need to conceptualize the parts of energy flows required for the person to do their job.
14. How do we simplify without losing what we value about complexity?
15. A system can descend into chaos and unpredictability, yet within that state of chaos the system is held within boundaries that are well-ordered and predictable.
16. Chaos is necessary to create new creative order
17. Order and form are not created by complex controls, but by the presence of a few guiding formulas or principles repeating back on themselves through the exercise of individual freedom. A few key principles combined with high levels of autonomy within the system is the recipe for success.
18. We are beginning to recognize organizations as whole systems and notice people exhibiting self-organizing behavior.
19. If we want progress, then we must provide energy to reverse decay. By sheer force of will, because we are the planet's intelligence, we will make the world work. Erich Jantsch said, " any living system is never resting structure that constantly seeks its own self-renewal".
20. Information can create such a strong disturbance that the system can no longer ignore it. When a system can maintain its identity, it can self-organize to a higher level of complexity, a new form of itself that can deal better with the present.
21. A system is defined as chaotic when it becomes impossible to know what it will do next. However, if we look at a system over time, it demonstrates an inherent orderliness. Its wild gyrations are held within an invisible boundary.
22. A system is a set of processes that are made visible in temporary structures.
23. If we believe that there is no order to human activity except that imposed by the leader, that there is no self-regulation except that dictated by policies, if we believe that responsible leaders must have their hands into everything, controlling every decision, person, moment, then we cannot hope for anything except what we already have-a treadmill of frantic efforts that end up destroying our individual and collective vitality.
24. "I always want more people, from more diverse functions and places, to be there. I am always surprised by what people can create as they explore the webs of relation and caring that connect them...I learn a great deal from other people. I expect them to see things differently from me, to surprise me."
25. Vision must permeate through the entire organization as a vital influence on the behavior of all employees.
26. At equilibrium, there is nothing left for the system to do; it can produce nothing more. Everything living is an open system that engages with its environment and continues to grow and evolve. To stay viable, open systems maintain a state of non-equilibrium, keeping themselves off balance so that the system change and grow. They participate in an open exchange with their world, using what is there for their own growth. Disturbances could create disequilibrium, but disequilibrium could create growth. If the system had the capacity to react and change, then disturbance was not necessarily fearsome opponent. Faced with increasing levels of disturbance, these systems possess the innate ability to reorganize themselves to deal with the new information, self-organizing systems.
27. Self-reference is the key to facilitating orderly change in the midst of turbulent environments. In organizations, a clear sense of identity, values, traditions, history, dreams, experience, competencies, culture - is the only route to achieving independence from the environment.
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A "must read" for leaders in the 21st century
Margaret Wheatley's Leadership and the New Science book is a paradigm shifting book about the changing accountabilities of leaders in the 21st century.
Margaret provides a bridge between the old sciences that our current world view is based on, and the new sciences that we have yet to understand and integrate into our thinking. She points out implications such as the importance of relationships, chaos as an important part of evolution as we reorganize to a more evolved level as a result, and self-reference as an opportunity for growth and development for leaders.
I like that she provides clues as to the implications vs. solutions - she leaves us in an essential inquiry about how to foster environments that open to, and integrate, new paradigms for leadership and organizational development.
It's also a great book for stimulating conversation that connects science-oriented leaders with those who have a more qualitative or intuitive approach.
It's a must read for all!
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Science Uncovers Mystical Truth
As CEO Coach, Poet and author of a leadership book that helps leaders learn how to unleash the genius of teams and corporations, I feel this book is a must read. If you want to know how the universe works so that you can live more effectivly in that universe, this is the book to read. She extends scientific understanding into life. Great book. Paul David Walker Unleashing Genius: Leading Yourself, Teams and Corporations
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Science of the Invisible ( dave50675 )
I had a migraine for three days reading this in 1990. Since then I've struggled to find a way to apply this knowledge to improve organizations. Well, I finally found it. This is the the science of culture. Self-organization, strange attractors, emergence, nonlinear interactions of agents in a system, sensitivity to initial conditions, fractals . . . and so on, are much easier to apprehend with a view of organization as organisms, and even easier to see as the underlying science of the intangible dimension of organizations. We all owe a special debt to Meg Wheatley for her pioneering work in this area . . .
also read Superperformance
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You either get it or you don't ( jgoforth2 )
As I read this book I gain flashes of insight from almost every page. I am an engineer and, while not expert in the scientific fields Wheatley discusses, I had read quite a bit about them. As I venture into unfamiliar organizational territory, I find that we have been instinctively using Wheatley's approaches. They seem especially suited to what we are endeavoring to do. Reading her book has clarified and affirmed what we are doing and allowed me to more deeply understand the processes.
Reading the reviews here, I see that some people 'get' what Ms. Wheatley is saying and some people don't. The ones who 'get it' are going to change the world.
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Addiction
